Emmerdale star Chris Bisson has portrayed Jai Sharma since 2009, having previously played Vikram Desai on Coronation Street before his departure.
Chris Bisson has previously spoken about the tough reason behind his departure from Coronation Street before going on to make a memorable debut in Emmerdale.
The actor, who has played Jai Sharma on the ITV soap since 2009, has been involved in a string of hard-hitting storylines over the years. From struggling with drug addiction to dealing with a chaotic romantic life, Jai’s time in the village has been far from straightforward.
This was especially highlighted in Monday’s episode (January 12), when Ray Walters (Joe Absolom) was discovered dead inside a van at Caleb Miligan’s (William Ash) depot. Viewers will remember that the ruthless Ray met his fate last week, though the identity of his killer remains unknown. Following the grim discovery of Ray’s body, Jai quickly became a suspect, but he strongly denied having anything to do with Ray’s death.
Long-standing soap viewers may recall that Chris previously appeared on Coronation Street before joining Emmerdale. He portrayed Vikram Desai, the cousin of Dev Alahan (Jimmi Harkishin), according to the Mirror. Vikram first arrived on the cobbles in 1999, taking charge of the corner shop before it eventually passed to Dev. He also helped set up Street Cars alongside Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson).
In 2002, Chris chose to leave the show. Vikram’s exit storyline saw him flee to Mumbai after becoming involved in drug smuggling in an attempt to clear his gambling debts — having first drained Street Cars’ tax account.
Reflecting on his decision to leave Coronation Street, Chris previously admitted he was unhappy with the direction of his character’s storylines. Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, he said: “I’d considered leaving Coronation Street several times before I eventually did.”
He went on to explain: “That was because I hadn’t been given a strong storyline for quite some time. I’ve been acting since I was 13, so I wasn’t especially concerned. I ended up playing the same role on Coronation Street for four years.”
Seven years later, Chris landed the role of Jai Sharma, going on to become a key character on Emmerdale. Jai arrived in the village alongside his siblings, Nikhil (Rio Makarem) and Priya (Fiona Wade), marking the start of his long-running presence on the show.
However, Chris later revealed that Emmerdale bosses had considered writing him out of the soap as his character evolved over the years. Speaking to OK!, he explained: “There were discussions about the direction the character had taken. They were very open and honest conversations between myself and the producer, asking, ‘Have we pushed him too far now? Is it time to end his journey, or should we try to redeem him?’
“In the end, we decided he wasn’t a bad character at heart. He originally arrived as a much kinder person, and although he did spiral at one point, we’ve managed to bring him back. That’s been really rewarding for me to play.”
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